Psychiatrist calls on persons to pay attention to their mental health

…as Reg 5 holds mental health awareness walk for Mental Health Month

A call is being made for everyone to pay attention to their mental well-being. The call comes from Dr Shion Toney, a psychiatrist at the Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) Health Department.
The department on Saturday held a mental health awareness walk and medical outreach at the Mahaicony Community in Region Five. The event was in observance of Mental Health Month, which is currently being observed under the theme “Turn Awareness into Action.”
The psychiatrist explained that the activity was also aimed at bringing awareness to persons who are living in denial; those who are not aware of mental health; and the mental health services available in the region.
Mental health is referred to as a state of mental well-being.
The region, she explained, provides services to assist persons with their mental well-being. These services are available at the Mahaicony Hospital, Fort Wellington Hospital, Rosignol Health Centre and the Hugo Chavez Rehabilitation Centre.
“There are a lot of people in Region Five who still attach a stigma to mental health, and there are also a lot of people who still believe the myth that if something is wrong with you mentally, it is because somebody did something to them,” she said.
“Most times you would find that people who are affected with a mental condition, they do not have insight into what is going on, unless if it is somebody who has depression or symptoms of depression, is like, feeling sad, low on energy, having suicidal thoughts, and so forth. And if someone can recognise that they are having these symptoms, then they would most likely say, ‘Oh I think that I do have a mental illness’. But you wouldn’t find a psychotic person saying ‘You know what? Something is wrong with me’,” she pointed out.
Nevertheless, Dr Toney noted that many persons with mental conditions live normal lives. Some are even looked up to in society.
“It could be a person who is going to work at the Ministry of ‘X’ or someplace… It is possible that people who go to work regularly, in a Government job, can be mentally challenged. There are a lot of people who have a mental condition, and they are living a normal life. It is not for you and me to know that that person has a mental illness. But they are working in high positions. Some of them are teachers…we have lawyers, we have doctors… and they live a normal life, and they go about their daily activities as per normal.”
She pointed out that one of the challenges in treating mental health is the stigma attached to the condition.
“If someone sees someone else going to see the psychiatrist, most likely they would say, ’I didn’t know that that person has a mental illness, but they wouldn’t say it in that way. They would say, ’Oh, I didn’t know that that person is mad. Or I didn’t know that something was wrong with that person’s nerve. And they wouldn’t say it in a pleasant way.”
However, according to Dr Toney, mental illness can be presented in different forms.
“You can find a person being psychotic, where you would find them walking on the street, eating from bins, and eating garbage, and so forth. Then you could find people who are experiencing depressive symptoms. Basically because they’re stressed out or they are going through a very difficult time when they start experiencing these symptoms. But they’re well-dressed, well-groomed.”
According to Dr Toney, anyone with such symptoms should seek medical help. There is treatment available for such persons.